Sutanovac: KFOR will not act on the NGO, Pristina, or Belgrade requests, but has no understanding for Kurti’s actions

Dragan Sutanovac, President of the Council for Strategic Policies, is confident that at this moment, KFOR has no understanding for the actions of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti but will not act on requests from non-governmental organizations, nor from Belgrade or Pristina, or even the EU.

Sutanovac, a former Serbian Defense Minister, says for Kosovo Online that KFOR is a mission that is absolutely independent. He is sure that there are people focused on security who make assessments based on which the KFOR commander and his superiors will decide how the mission will be deployed and whether it will participate actively or passively, as is the current situation.

Representatives of several NGOs from northern Kosovo have called on KFOR to establish checkpoints in front of institutions that serve the majority population in the north, stating that they believe only KFOR's actions can ensure peace and security in the Serbian areas of northern Kosovo.

Sutanovac says that KFOR operates under its mandate from the United Nations and that its commanders, whether in Naples or Brussels, will issue orders based on the assessments made.

“I know that KFOR is quite nervous and that, in addition to Kurti harassing Serbs, he is also threatening the safety of KFOR personnel. How they will act depends on how much force Kurti will use, either against Serbs or in an attempt to incite conflict between Serbs and KFOR. I am convinced that KFOR knows very well what is happening, and maybe more than ever, Serbs need to show patience. I know this is an exceptionally difficult moment, but I believe this may be the only right way to both maintain some level of security on the one hand and show the international community what is really happening in Kosovo, and to expect its reaction,” Sutanovac notes.

He adds that it is not unknown that KFOR has recently increased its presence in northern Kosovo and that a few weeks ago, they deployed their forces directly on the bridge connecting North and South Mitrovica to show that they are managing security in that area and that a unilateral decision by Pristina will not obligate KFOR, which has its own mandate to maintain peace, especially where Serbs are at risk, as currently, he emphasizes, no one else is endangered.

“If there were any larger-scale clashes or use of heavy weaponry, I have no doubt that KFOR would intervene in such a situation, but I hope and sincerely believe that there will be no need for that,” he concludes.